Nurse{40 s cap attachment system

ABSTRACT

A cap attachment system for easily but securely attaching a standard nurse&#39;&#39;s cap to the head of the nurse including a plastic comb attachment having a series of odd-numbered, asymmetrically disposed, staggered tines with rounded points and a flat undersurface and having a pin clasp for attaching the comb to the front of cap, the comb attachment being further secured to the cap at its rear, upper portion by means of a rubber band disposed between the button on the cap through the standard slit in the cap to an optional groove at the end of the central tine, all of which when placed in position securely attaches the cap to the head of the wearer. A bobby pin is further included near the rubber band&#39;&#39;s attachment to the tine to insure that the tension of the rubber band does not pull the end of the comb away from the head of the wearer.

[ Sept. 10, 1974 NURSE 'S CAP ATTACHMENT SYSTEM [76] Inventor: Carolyn Creel McCord, Mobile,

Ala.

[22] Filed: Aug. 10, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 279,326

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 115,638, Feb. 26,

1971, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 132/101, 2/198 [51] Int. Cl A42b 7/00 [58] Field of Search 132/101, 105, 124, 144,

11/1967 Love ..1 222/209 l/1969 Welch ..2/198 Primary Examiner-G. E. McNeill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-C. Emmett Pugh; Calvin J Laiche [5 7] ABSTRACT A cap attachment system for easily but securely attaching a standard nurses cap to the head of the nurse including a plastic comb attachment having a series of odd-numbered, asymmetrically disposed, staggered tines with rounded points and a flat undersurface and having a pin clasp for attaching the comb to the front of cap, the comb attachment being further secured to the cap at its rear, upper portion by means of a rubber band disposed between the button on the cap through the standard slit in the cap to an optional groove at the end of the central tine, all of which when placed in position securely attaches the cap to the head of the wearer. A bobby pin is further included near the rubber bands attachment to the tine to insure that the tension of the rubber band does not pull the end of the comb away from the head of the wearer.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures NURSE'S CAP ATTACHMENT SYSTEM REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part application of the prior, copending application entitled, CARO- LYNS CAP COMB FOR NURSES, application Ser. No. 115,638, filed Feb. 26, 1971 now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cap attachment system for attaching the standard nurses cap to the nurses head and includes an attachment comb having a series of tines and means for directly attaching it to the cap and an auxilliary rubber band and optional bobby pin, the present invention being directed to both the apparatus and method of application involved.

It is customary within the medical and hospital profession to require nurses and nurses aides to wear a suitable nurses cap, a tradition that goes back perhaps as far as Florence Nightingale. The nurses caps of today, although they vary somewhat in general configuration, usually include a piece of heavily starched cotton material folded back on itself to form an upstanding crown emanating from a saddle bridge for straddling the head, a typical example of a nurses cap being shown in FIG. 6 thereof. At the rear of the cap is an opening having a button or snap centrally located near its top.

However, heretofore, it has always been a considerable problem for nurses to properly attach the cap to the head and hair in a secure manner. Because of the great emphasis on a clean and unencumbered appearance, nursing regulations usually do not permit the use of pins and the like in such a way that they would appear on the outside of the cap, and this has further complicated the matter.

I-Ieretofore, a nurse would usually attach a series of safety pins to the interior of the cap about its periphery with each safety pin having a rubber band hanging therefrom with a bobby pin at its end. Prior to placing the cap on the head, a relatively large ball of cotton was first pinned into the nurses hair. Then the cap with the multitude of safety pins clipped thereto with the rubber bands hanging therefrom was placed on the head and the bobby pins inserted into the hair under the cotton ball and/or the cap to hold the cap in place. This has always been a very awkward and time consuming procedure, usually taking of the order of five to ten minutes just to secure the cap on the head. Even then the cap was not always really securely attached to the head and would often come off, requiring the need to repeat the process.

In comparison to the prior art, the present invention provides a highly secure cap attachment system which is very conveniently, easily and quickly used, taking only of the order of a few seconds to completely apply. The present invention achieves these highly desirable results by utilizing a basic comb attachment which is initially attached to the bottom, front of the interior of the cap by, for example, pinning the two together and placing the cap with comb attached thereto onto the head and into the hair. An elastic means such as a rubber band is then stretched through the rear opening in the cap between the rear end of the comb attachment and the standard button or like structure which is found at the rear, top of the standard nurses cap. A supplemental bobby pin can be inserted in the hair at the rear end of the comb attachment to further secure it against the tension of the rubber band.

The present invention is not only conveniently and easily applied but also aesthetically pleasing in appearance being made of, for example, molded, white plastic, additionally, by having, for example, a quick releasing pin clasp means for attaching it to the nurses cap, the comb of the present invention can be completely disengaged from the cap and laundered to maintain completely sanitary conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better and further understanding of the nature, objects and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed descrip tion, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are given like reference numerals, and wherein:

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are end, to and side views, respectively, of the comb attachment system of the present invention; while FIGS. 4 and 5 are partial, cross-sectional views of selected portions of the comb attachment accessory of the present invention, taken along section lines 4-4 and 55, respectively, of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the head of a nurse using the cap attachment system (mostly shown in phantom lines) of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The nurses cap attachment system of the present invention includes a comb attachment 10 (note FIGS. 1 through 3), a rubber band 4 and an optional bobby pi 6 (note particularly FIG. 6).

Structure The comb attachment 10 includes a generally laterally extended base or basic body 11 having at one side on a beveled platform a standard pin clasp 12 which serves as a particularly effective attachment means for attaching the comb 10 to the front of the nurses cap 1. From the other side of the basic comb body 11 extends a series of parallel, odd numbered tines 17 20 and 17' 19. Each of the tines has a rounded point (note particularly FIG. 2) and a flat underside (note particularly FIG. 5), and, as viewed from the side, extends down in a gentle flare or curve (note particularly FIG. 3). As best shown in FIG. 1, the comb 10 also has a gentle curve in the side-to-side direction, thereby resulting in the comb 10 having a compound curved undersurface to conform to the general configuration of the wearers head.

Because of the side-to-side curvature of the comb 10, the central tine 20 is positioned at a point higher than the other tines, the other tines becoming relatively lower the further they are located from the central tine 20. Likewise, the central tine 20 is longer than the other tines, the other tines becoming relatively shorter the further they are located away from the central tine 20 (note particularly FIGS. 2 and 3).

As will be explained more fully below, the central tine 20 includes near its terminus a groove 21 which extends from sidetoside near its terminus a groove 21 which extens from side-to-side of the tine (note particularly FIG. 4) which serves as a hooking grove for the rubber band 4.

Typical dimensions of the comb attachment 10 are a basic body 11 of 4inches by 1% inches by a half inch with tine lengths of 2% (17,17) to 4 inches (20) and with the groove 21 placed about a half inch back from the end of the central tine 20.

The standard locking pin clasp 12 includes a pointed, elongated pin member 13 which is rotatably connected to support 16 and can be locked in its closed position by clasp lock 14 at its other end. The clasp 12 is mounted on the basic body 11 of the comb 10 by means of mounting plate 15.

The elastic means 4 can be a standard rubber band having a length of, for example, 2 inches and should certainly be substantially less than the distance from the groove 21 to the button so that the proper holding tension is provided.

The comb can be made of any suitable material in any desirable color, and for example, it can be made of an injection molded plastic having a white color.

Method of Application The comb 10 is first attached to the undersurface of the front of the nurses cap 1 by means of the pin clasp 12, operated in the normal fashion of such standard pin clasps. The rubber band 4 is placed with one end around the button 5 and the rest inserted through the rear opening into the cap 1, the rear opening being the button hole itself or a slit or whatever is conveniently available on that particular cap. The cap 1 is then placed on the nurses head and moved rearwardly along the hairline 7 so that the tines l7 20, 17 19 move into the wearers hair, intermixing therewith, until the comb 10 is located about the center of the head.

The interior end of the rubber band 4 is then stretched under tension with the index finger and placed under the central tine 20 so that the end of the rubber band 4 catches in the groove 21. The cap 1 is thereby securely and quickly affixed to the head of the nurse.

Particularly in cases where the wearers hair is relatively thin, it is sometimes desirable to use a supplemental bobby pin 6 to further secure the end of the comb 10 on the head against the tension of the rubber band 4. In such cases the bobby pin 6 is merely inserted around the end of the central tine 20 near the end of the rubber band 4 through and into the wearers hair.

Exemplary Modifications Although most nurses caps have a button 5 at its upper, rear portion, some caps instead have snaps. In such cases the rubber band 4 is merely attached to the snap. Additionally, some caps rather than either the button 5 or a snap utilize two separate snaps or some other like, equivalent structure to the button 5. In the absence of a central structure such as a single button 5 or snap, the exterior end of the rubber band 4 can be merely attached to the rear of the cap by means of an appropriately placed bobby pin.

The rubber band 4 serves to greatly enhance the securing of the cap 1 to the wearers head. However in many instances, particularly in the case of a Registered Nurse (RN) where the nurse will not have to bend over much, if at all, the rubber band could be eliminated in some applications. On the other hand, where the wearer must do a lot of bending over and/or is physically very ctive as in the case of a Practical Nurse (PN) or a Nurses Aide, the rubber band forms a most integral part of the apparatus of the present invention.

Although the groove 21 has been found to be particularly effective in holding the rubber band 4 to the comb 10, it is conceivable that the groove could be eliminated and the interior end of the rubber band 4 merely placed under the tine 20. Likewise, although an odd number of parallel tines is considered preferrable, any number of tines is generally speaking possible and they can be canted relative to each other rather than purely parallel. Also, although the differing lengths of the five tines as shown and described provide a highly effective triangular (note FIG. 2) line of attack, a different configuration is of course possible.

Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught and disclosed, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirements of the law, it is to be understood that the details herein are generally speaking to be interpreted as illustrative only, and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as invention is:

l. A nurses cap attachment system for attaching to the wearers head the standard nurse s cap in which the cap includes a button or like structure at its top, rear section and the cap further has an opening adjacent to the button, the system further comprising an integral comb attachment having a basic, laterally extending body and a series of tines extending out from said basic body in at least generally the same direction in a gentle curve in both the longitudinal and side-to-side directions forming a compound curved surface, to conform to the general configuration of the wearers head, each of said tines tapering down in a gentle curve as it extends from said basic body to its termination, said tines comprising a multiplicity of an odd number of like members, the center one of which is longer and higher than the rest and the remaining tines becoming shorter and lower the further the tine is located away from said center tine, said center tine having a lateral groove at its bottom surface near its end for attachment of elastic means, and cap attaching means mounted on said basic body for physically attaching said comb attachment to the front of the nurses cap; and

elongated, elastic means for connecting under tension the end of said center tine by means of said groove to the button or like structure of the nurse s cap through the opening in the nurses cap, said elastic means being shorter in its natural state than the distance between the point on the end of said center tine to which it is to be attached and the position of the button or like structure, the connection between the button through said elastic means to said groove along said tines to said attaching means to the front of the nurses cap being generally in line front-to-back, parallel to the center line of the wearers head; whereby the nurses cap can be easily and securely fixed to and along the nurse s head by means of attaching said comb attachment through said attaching means to the front of the cap, placing the cap on the head, passing the tines through and into the hair, and connecting said elastic means under tension to the button or like structure and said center tine.

2. The nurses cap attachment system of claim 1 wherein each of said tines terminates in a rounded point and the bottom side is substantially flat.

3. The nurses cap attachment system of claim 1 wherein said attachment means includes an extended pin element pointed at one end and attached at its other end to said basic body for piercing the front of the nurse s cap during attachment of said comb attachment to the front of the nurses cap.

4. The nurses cap attachment system of claim 1 wherein said basic body includes at its forward end, opposite said tines, a beveled platform, said attaching means being mounted on said beveled platform.

5. The method of attaching the standard nurses cap onto the wearers head, said standard nurses cap including a button or like structure at its top, rear section and further having an opening adjacent to the button or like structure;

a. providing a cap attachment comprising an integral comb attachment having a basic, laterally extending body and a series of tines extending out from said basic body in at least generally the same direction in a gentle curve in both the longitudinal and side-to-side directions, forming a compound curved surface, to conform to the general configuration of the wearers head, each of said tines tapering down in a gentle curve as it extends from said basic body to its termination, said tines comprising a multiplicity of an odd number of like members, the center one of which is longer and higher than the rest and the remaining tines becoming shorter and lower the further the tine is located away from said center line, said center tine having a lateral groove at its bottom surface near its end for attachment of elastic means, and cap attaching means mounted on said basic body for physically attaching said comb attachment to the front of the nurses cap; and

elongated, elastic means for connecting the end of said center tine by means of said groove to the button of the nurses cap through the opening in the nurses cap, said elastic means being shorter in it natural state than the distance between the point on the end of said center tine to which it is to be attached and the position of the button or like structure so that said elastic means is under tension when it is connecting the end of the tine to the button or like structure;

b. attaching said comb attachment to the front of the nurses cap by means of said attachment means; c. placing the cap with comb attachment thereon on the head and moving it back along and next to and about the centerof the head through the hair with the tines pointed rearwardly so that said tines at least generally mate with the surface of the head and become imbedded in the hair;

(1. connecting said elastic means between said center tine and the button or like structure, the connection between the button through said elastic means to said groove along said tines to said attaching means to the front of the nurses cap being generally in line front-to-back, parallel to the center line of the wearers head; whereby the cap is thereby quickly but securely attached to the nurses head.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said attachment means for physically ataining said comb attachment to the front of the nurses cap includes an elongated pin member pointed at one end and attached at its other end to said basic body, and wherein there is further included in the attachment of said attachment means to the cap, the step of piercing the cap with said elongated pin member and securing the end of said elongated pin member, pinning thereby said comb attachment to the front of the nurses cap. 

1. A nurse''s cap attachment system for attaching to the wearer''s head the standard nurse''s cap in which the cap includes a button or like structure at its top, rear section and the cap further has an opening adjacent to the button, the system further comprising an integral comb attachment having a basic, laterally extending body and a series of tines extending out from said basic body in at least generally the same direction in a gentle curve in both the longitudinal and side-to-side directions forming a compound curved surface, to conform to the general configuration of the wearer''s head, each of said tines tapering down in a gentle curve as it extends from said basic body to its termination, said tines comprising a multiplicity of an odd number of like members, the center one of which is longer and higher than the rest and the remaining tines becoming shorter and lower the further the tine is located away from said center tine, said center tine having a lateral groove at its bottom surface near its end for attachment of elastic means, and cap attaching means mounted on said basic body for physically attaching said comb attachment to the front of the nurse''s cap; and elongated, elastic means for connecting under tension the end of said center tine by means of said groove to the button or like structure of the nurse''s cap through the opening in the nurse''s cap, said elastic means being shorter in its natural state than the distance between the point on the end of said center tine to which it is to be attached and the position of the button or like structure, the connection between the button through said elastic means to said groove along said tines to said attaching means to the front of the nurse''s cap being generally in line front-to-back, parallel to the center line of the wearer''s head; whereby the nurse''s cap can be easily and securely fixed to and along the nurse''s head by means of attaching said comb attachment through said attaching means to the front of the cap, placing the cap on the head, passing the tines through and into the hair, and connecting said elastic means under tension to the button or like structure and said center tine.
 2. The nurse''s cap attachment system of claim 1 wherein each of said tines terminates in a rounded point and the bottom side is substantially flat.
 3. The nurse''s cap attachment system of claim 1 wherein said attachment means includes an extended pin element pointed at one end and attached at its other end to said basic body for piercing the front of the nurse''s cap during attachment of said comb attachment to the front of the nurse''s cap.
 4. The nurse''s cap attachment system of claim 1 wherein said basic body includes at its forward end, opposite said tines, a beveled platform, said attaching means being mounted on said beveled platform.
 5. The method of attaching the standard nurse''s cap onto the wearer''s head, said standard nurse''s cap including a button or like structure at its top, rear section and further having an opening adjacent to the button or like structure; a. providing a cap attachment comprising an integral comb attachment having a basic, laterally extending body and a series of tines extending out from said basic body in at least generally the same direction in a gentle curve in both the longitudinal and side-to-side directions, forming a compound curVed surface, to conform to the general configuration of the wearer''s head, each of said tines tapering down in a gentle curve as it extends from said basic body to its termination, said tines comprising a multiplicity of an odd number of like members, the center one of which is longer and higher than the rest and the remaining tines becoming shorter and lower the further the tine is located away from said center line, said center tine having a lateral groove at its bottom surface near its end for attachment of elastic means, and cap attaching means mounted on said basic body for physically attaching said comb attachment to the front of the nurse''s cap; and elongated, elastic means for connecting the end of said center tine by means of said groove to the button of the nurse''s cap through the opening in the nurse''s cap, said elastic means being shorter in it natural state than the distance between the point on the end of said center tine to which it is to be attached and the position of the button or like structure so that said elastic means is under tension when it is connecting the end of the tine to the button or like structure; b. attaching said comb attachment to the front of the nurse''s cap by means of said attachment means; c. placing the cap with comb attachment thereon on the head and moving it back along and next to and about the center of the head through the hair with the tines pointed rearwardly so that said tines at least generally mate with the surface of the head and become imbedded in the hair; d. connecting said elastic means between said center tine and the button or like structure, the connection between the button through said elastic means to said groove along said tines to said attaching means to the front of the nurse''s cap being generally in line front-to-back, parallel to the center line of the wearer''s head; whereby the cap is thereby quickly but securely attached to the nurse''s head.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein said attachment means for physically ataining said comb attachment to the front of the nurse''s cap includes an elongated pin member pointed at one end and attached at its other end to said basic body, and wherein there is further included in the attachment of said attachment means to the cap, the step of piercing the cap with said elongated pin member and securing the end of said elongated pin member, pinning thereby said comb attachment to the front of the nurse''s cap. 